Blossom, Bells Atlas, Amenta Abioto
Any chance to experience Blossom live is worth your time and money—she’s the undisputed queen of Portland soul, and her debut LP Tease (with producer Hot16) was one of the best records of last year. Throughout, Blossom’s velvety voice glides over slow-burning beats (“Superwoman”) and throwback funk breakdowns (“Loves Coming”), and the result is hypnotic, empowering, and sure to make you move. CIARA DOLAN
Apr 7, 9:30 pm, Bunk Bar, $10
Hunger, Lavender Flu, Day Dos
Turn! Turn! Turn! presents a special reunion show with Hunger, the short-lived, but influential Portland psych-rock band who gained a following as part of LA’s Sunset Strip psych scene in the late 1960s.
Apr 7, 8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $10
Soft Kill, Choir Boy, Vowws, Vacant Stares
Soft Kill’s new record Savior was inspired by a nightmarish experience on the road: While the Portland band was driving through the middle of nowhere, frontman Tobias Grave’s pregnant wife began to bleed out in their tour van. Thankfully they were able to get her to a hospital in time, so she and their newborn survived. The songs on Savior tiptoe around the perimeter of this narrowly avoided tragedy, mirroring the simultaneous anguish and gratitude with combustive post-punk. Tonight Soft Kill will celebrate its release with Salt Lake City’s Choir Boy, whose 2016 debut Passive with Desire sounds like the Cure playing Dracula’s castle. Anchored by the angelic and androgynous voice of Adam Klopp (who also fronts the equally excellent SLC band Human Leather), it’s gothic synth-pop that’s periodically filled out with strings and drum machine beats. CIARA DOLAN
Apr 8, 8 pm, Tonic Lounge, $10
Hausu
There are lots of movies in this dumb world, but the only one that matters is 1977’s surreal, kooky, blood-drenched Hausu (AKA House). Japanese TV commercial director Nobuhiko Obayashi’s first feature film is a torrent of haunted-house creepiness, surgically imprecise dismemberment, and child-nightmare logic, but it’s bathed in a gooey, soft-focus layer of kitsch and anarchic comedy that makes it utterly unique. Hausu is the only movie. NED LANNAMANN
Apr 7, 9:30 pm, NW Film’s Whitsell Auditorium, $8-9
Briana Marela, Ever Ending Kicks, Mindparade
On her most recent LP, Call It Love (released last year via Jagjaguwar), Olympia’s Brianna Marela examines the ecstasy and serenity of love—being in the thick of it (“Be in Love”), craving more of it (“Give Me Your Love”), and ultimately, watching it drift away (“Quit”). Aided as always by her looping pedal, Marela soundtracks the cyclic nature of falling in and out of love with kaleidoscopic ringlets of heavenly electro-folk. Plenty of albums focus on the intoxication of new romance and the seismic devastation of breakups; few track the whole process with such honesty and empathy. Throughout Call It Love, Marela lets pop hooks coexist with ambient waves of synth, and the result is dreamy and surprisingly uplifting. She’s one of the best musicians in the Pacific Northwest—don’t miss the chance to see her work magic in such an intimate setting. CIARA DOLAN
Apr 6, 8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $8
Brown Calculus, DJ Lamar Leroy
Local outfit Brown Calculus bring their cosmic blend of jazz, hip-hop, and soul out to the Atlantis Lounge for a special fundraiser show to help get the duo out to the LAUNCH Music Conference in Lancaster, PA.
Apr 6, 9 pm, Mississippi Pizza Pub & Atlantis Lounge, $7
Club Nitty Gritty
If you’re looking for a dance night that sets the evening on fire, check out Club Nitty Gritty, hosted by the always down for a good time DJ Action Slacks (Shannon Wiberg). She’s been pounding the turntables for years with righteous choices in down-home dirty soul—the kind with raw sax and voices that wail and scratch. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Apr 6, 9 pm, (The World Famous) Kenton Club, $7
Møtrik, Abronia, Center Pieces
Portland krautrock outfit Møtrik head out to St. John’s to celebrate the release of their new record. Local experimental acts Abronia and Center Pieces round out the proceedings.
Apr 7, 9 pm, The Fixin’ To, $7
Nasalrod, Marriage + Cancer, Bobby Peru
Beloved Portland art-punk outfit Nasalrod bring their unrelenting live show down to the Liquor Store basement for a tour homecoming show, with like-minded locals Marriage + Cancer and Bobby Peru lending their own punk and noise rock sounds to the proceedings.
Apr 8, 9 pm, The Liquor Store, $7
Puentes, no Muros! Portland Mercado 3 Year Anniversary
Portland Mercado in turning three years old and celebrating in the spirit of community and culture with a full-day of food, drinks, kids activities, and music from Tito Amaya, Cilantro, Ache Son, Salsanova, Dina y Los Rumberos, and DJ Chavez.
Apr 7, noon, Portland Mercado, free
Don’t forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!